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“How short are you?” 

If no one has asked you this, you are probably taller than five feet.  I don’t actually know the tipping point at which people start asking you how tall you are, but I do know that people ask how short you are at five feet.

This site is dedicated to feeling at home in your life, and to me, that includes feeling at home in your own body. My body is small.  Like any deviation from the average, some people see this as a negative, but I have always loved being a pint-sized human.  

First perk: people offer to carry you places.  For real.  When I was in school, people would sometimes offer to carry me to class just because they could – and I would sometimes accept, just because I could.  The perk also extends to being put on people’s shoulders for events when it is hard to see.  The one time this didn’t turn out for me is when I went to see the queen at a public event with my very tall friend and her boyfriend.  When I was unable to see, the boyfriend tried to put me on his shoulders in the same manner you would pick up a child to do it, but he didn’t account for my not-as-short-as-a-child torso and got a lot of my butt in his face before abandoning the plan.  I was suspended in mid-air while seniors who had come to see the queen watched in shock as my friend’s boyfriend got far too cozy with my butt.  I digress.  

Second perk: I have an obvious leg up during hide and seek.  I am a real contender, even when playing against children.  This has especially come in handy since becoming a parent.  

Third perk: even though hemming pants is supremely annoying, it is definitely easier than adding length to a pant, as my tall friends have told me.  You can always make clothes smaller, but it’s hard to make them bigger.

Fourth perk: I have a big personality.  I guess you could say that I’m “full of life.” I like to jump and dance and laugh loudly.  If I were also a large human, I would potentially come across as overbearing, but because of my small stature, it (usually) balances out.  

Of course, there are a few downsides.  My feet are a children’s size two (women’s size 4).  The next time you’re shopping for shoes, ask if they have size 4 and watch the look of pity on the sales clerk’s face.  Another downside is that literally every drunk man thinks his hands are actually big enough to fit around your waist.  They’re not. I’m short, but I eat.  Finally, some people like to hold your head up to their body to display just how short you are.  This can be awkward depending on where your head ends up resting.

The reality is, there is nothing I can do about my height.  I can temporarily alter it with heels, but even then, I fall below average height – and that’s fine by me, because I like being small.  If you’re small like I am, I hope you can embrace it – and if you’re not, make sure your “high fives” aren’t too high when I’m around.